The Academy Insider Podcast - Your Guide to The Naval Academy Experience
The mission of Academy Insider is to guide, serve, and support Midshipmen, future Midshipmen, and their families. Through the perspective of a community of former graduates and Naval Academy insiders, this podcast will help you learn about life at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Through our shared experiences, Academy Insider guides families through the anxiety and frustration caused by lack of understanding, misinformation, and confusion. This platform is designed to better relationships between midshipmen and their loved ones. This podcast is not affiliated with the United States Naval Academy, the United States Navy or Department of Defense. The thoughts and opinions are exclusively those of your host and his guests.
Episodes
I-Day can feel like a blur you can’t control, until you understand what’s actually happening and what you can do to support your future midshipman without adding stress. We talk through the real-world logistics that trip families up, starting with the one resource that beats every rumor: the USNA Permit to Report package. We share practical tips on access to the yard, why the stadium parking and shuttle ...
Most Navy career conversations orbit ships, submarines, and aircraft. Meanwhile, an entire community is quietly building, powering, and repairing the platforms and bases that make all of that possible. I sit down with Roland De Guzman, a Naval Academy graduate and career Civil Engineer Corps officer, to tell the real story of the CEC and the Seabees.
Roland explains what CEC officers do in wartime and conting...
Rankings at the Naval Academy can feel like a a mystery until you learn the language behind it and understand the system. We walk through how midshipmen are constantly evaluated, why class rank matters at graduation and commissioning, and how USNA measures performance in a way most civilian universities simply do not. If you have a midshipman in your life and you’ve heard terms tossed around like Order of Meri...
Plebe year ends with a fast, emotional sprint: finals wrap, intercessional leave hits, and then zero block brings the two biggest milestones most families are waiting for, Sea Trials and Herndon. If you’ve got a plebe at the U.S. Naval Academy, or you’re trying to understand the Naval Academy journey from the outside, this is the background that will help.
We start with a term that always ma...
Your son or daughter just earned a Naval Academy appointment and you’re proud, rattled, and unsure what to expect all at the same time. I get it. When a family doesn’t have a military background, USNA can feel like a different planet with its own language, rules, and stakes and your brain naturally jumps to worst-case scenarios even while you’re celebrating a huge win.
I share my own path fr...
The Academy is a controlled environment. The fleet is not. The day you commission, “adulting” stops being a meme and becomes the difference between a stressed-out junior officer and a steady leader your sailors can trust.
I riff on the lessons I wish every new Navy JO heard before reporting to a ship or submarine. We start with work, because leadership is not just being competent, it’s...
The question I hear every year sounds innocent but it can quietly wreck your Plebe Summer mindset: “How do I become the best plebe in my company?” I’m sharing a different path for the Naval Academy Class of 2030 and the families walking alongside them, rooted in what I saw across every company as Plebe Summer regimental commander and what I’ve learned since as a graduate trying to give back.&...
50 years ago, women showed up on I-day for the first time at the Naval Academy. That’s why this milestone weekend in Annapolis feels so big, and why we wanted the real story behind it. Marie (USNA ’86) and Adrienne (USNA ’06) join us to share how USNA Women Writ Large and the USNA Women's SIG are bringing more than 850 people together April 16 to 19 for a conference, gala, and a full-on celeb...
A single book can change your life, and sometimes it starts with one brutal question: what do you wish you’d known back then? We sit down with Dr. John Cordle, a retired Navy captain, to talk about his new book Letters to Myself and the real experiences behind it, from early doubts at the United States Naval Academy to the pressure-cooker moments that define military leadership.
John explains why he str...
The Naval Academy doesn’t just produce Navy officers, it produces Marine Corps officers too, and that fact quietly shapes almost everything about life in Annapolis. We’re digging into the Marine Corps influence at the United States Naval Academy, starting with the basics most families miss: the Marine Corps sits under the Department of the Navy, about 25% of each graduating class commissions into the Mar...
Your kid’s “summer break” at the United States Naval Academy might be the most important part of their year, and it’s definitely not a break. I walk through how Naval Academy summer training actually works from May through August, why it exists, and how it quietly shapes service assignment decisions across the Navy and Marine Corps. If you’re a parent trying to make sense of leave, crui...
Planning for Commissioning Week 2026 can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to navigate this milestone alone. In this comprehensive episode, I sit down with Lori Coogan, Director of Parent Programs at the Naval Academy Alumni Association, to break down everything you need to know for this monumental week in May.
As someone who's guided countless families through this experience, Lori brings invaluable insights fro...
The major selection window is now open for plebes, and this decision can feel overwhelming when you're trying to balance future career goals with academic interests. As someone who once sent a 2:30 AM Snapchat saying "should have been a Group 3 major," I understand the pressure and uncertainty that comes with this choice.
In this episode, I share straightforward advice about navigating major selection at the Naval Ac...
Ever wonder how midshipmen celebrate Super Bowl Sunday while living under the structured environment of the Naval Academy? In this quick episode, I share an inside look at one of the most anticipated events during the challenging Dark Ages period at Annapolis.
As someone who experienced four Super Bowl Sundays as a midshipman, I'm excited to give you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how the Academy transforms Dahlgre...
Ever wondered what happens during that exciting night when Naval Academy midshipmen discover which ship they'll serve on after graduation? Ship selection night is one of the coolest traditions at the Academy, and understanding this process gives families incredible insight into their midshipman's future naval career.
As someone who's witnessed the evolution of this incredible event, I'm excited to share the behind-th...
When midshipmen reach graduation day but cannot commission due to medical reasons, they face what's called the "golden handshake" - but it's not as golden as the name may indicate. In this powerful episode, we explore the reality of Graduate Non-Commission (GNC) midshipmen and the support they desperately need.
My friend Christian Blanchard shares his deeply personal story of finding out just two weeks before graduat...
Learn about Midshipmen Pay at the Naval Academy. As someone who admits to being completely clueless about pay and deductions during my own time as a midshipman, I'm excited to break down everything you need to know about the financial side of academy life.
From base pay calculations to mysterious deductions, from retirement planning opportunities to scholarship possibilities, we're covering the complete financi...
What if you could spend seven straight years living abroad while serving your country? In this episode, we explore the incredible world of Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) through the eyes of someone who has made it their entire naval career.
Karl shares his remarkable experience of living and operating in Spain, Japan, and Italy—not as temporary deployments, but as permanent duty stations. From sailing in ...
Ever wondered how you could earn a master's degree while still at the Naval Academy? Meet the Voluntary Graduate Education Program (VGEP) - a hidden gem that most midshipmen never hear about unless someone specifically tells them it exists.
In this episode, I sit down with Karl Marvil, a Surface Warfare Officer currently stationed in Naples, Italy, who completed the VGEP program at Georgetown University. Karl shares ...
What Parents Need to Know About Naval Academy's Toughest Season
Ever wondered what midshipmen mean when they talk about surviving the "Dark Ages" at the Naval Academy? This episode pulls back the curtain on one of the most challenging periods in a midshipman's year - the return to Annapolis after winter break.
As someone who experienced those brutal Annapolis winters firsthand, I'm sharing the reality...
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